The Caged Bird
by Maxwell Lily
Summary: She was sure she hadn't detected the sounds of any other human. She would have recognized it, especially someone who had never been in those woods before, but there he was, bathing in the lake. A man with hair long and black like the crow's wings, wet skin glowing in the moonlight and a scar that stared at her along with dark, sharp eyes. [Swan Lake Retelling]


Princess Hae Soo had never seen a crow before.

She noticed it from her bedroom window, right as the sun began to set. She called her servant and friend Chae Ryung over but, by the time the girl arrived, the crow had already hidden itself amongst the leaves of trees. With a grin, the princess quickly began to change into common clothes, to her friend's exasperation.

"My lady! This is exactly why your mother is arranging your marriage!" Chae Ryung complained, picking up the royal robes she unceremoniously dropped to the floor.

"And once she makes up her mind there's no going back, so staying inside is not going to change anything." The princess braided her hair and completed her disguise with a cloak. She pointed at the clothes in Chae Ryung's hands and said, "You should do as we practiced and if anyone walks in, just stay by the window with your back to them and say you're going to bed soon."

"Lady Soo, I cannot keep on pretending to be you!"

Hae Soo winked.

"If you are ever caught you lying, I'll take full responsibility. Don't worry about it. Now come on." The princess opened one of her trunks and took out a long rope. "Help me with this."

"It's so dangerous after dark..." Chae Ryung clasped her hands before her chest as she watched the princess throw the rope out her window.

"It's okay," the princess said, reaching into one of her pockets and showing a beautiful dagger adorned with a red ribbon. "Woo Hee gave me this to protect myself."

Chae Ryung mumbled something that sounded like "Enabler" and begrudgingly helped the princess escape through her window and outside the palace walls. Luckily for both of them, Lady Hae Soo's room wasn't too far from the ground, but surely, if Queen Hae ever discovered her escapades, she would be assigned a new room and, if her mother were particularly mad, without any windows at all.

Once on the ground, Hae Soo tried to pinpoint the direction where she had seen the crow before it disappeared. She had played in the woods behind the palace her whole life and was barely scared of it, even after dark. Soon the full moon would be high in the sky and the woods would take on an ethereal ambiance that she loved

 _Ah_ , she thought, jumping over tree roots expertly while looking up, searching for her new friend. _I'm going to miss this when I leave._ Hae Soo considered the noble who would be coming soon to meet her and take her as his bride and thought of no better time to lose herself in the smells of the forest and the company of animals, if hers was a future of palace walls and a married woman's duties.

She caught a glimpse of a bird ahead and remembered what she had read about crows in books, about how smart they were. She wondered if it would let her come close, maybe if she offered it a fruit, and it was with those thoughts in mind that she approached the lake, the sound of cicadas in her ears and a smile on her lips, when the moon showed her an unexpected guest.

She was sure she hadn't detected the sounds of any other human. She would have recognized it, especially someone she had never seen before, someone who had never been in those woods before, but there he was, bathing in the lake. A man with hair long and black like the crow's wings, wet skin glowing in the moonlight and a scar that stared at her along with dark, sharp eyes. Penetrating eyes that seemed to look right through her.

Hae Soo was so caught up in the sight of him that it took her a few moments to realize that she was staring at a naked man, and when she did, she quickly turned on her heels, covering her face after it was too late, blushing to the roots of her hair.

"I'm... I am sorry," she heard herself say, eyes closed and still envisioning him. "I was looking for a crow and..."

"A crow?" He said behind her, the sound of the water denoting movement, but she dared not turn around.

"I thought I, I'm terribly sorry, there was a crow, it's a black bird, I was following it here," she said, sentence after sentence without pause, ready to run away when she heard him say,

"I am the crow."

Hae Soo's rambling thoughts ceased. She turned slowly around and there he was, visible from the waist up, eyes downcast. The water reflected in his eyes and she didn't know if that was better or worse than having the eyes looking straight at her.

"You're the crow?

He nodded and Hae Soo scoffed.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Why would I make fun of you?"

Hae Soo took a few steps in his direction.

"Why... why would you say you're a crow when I can clearly see you're a man?"

The man blinked in her direction and Hae Soo drew a breath.

"It's a curse. You can see me because of the moonlight, but once it's gone, I'll turn into a crow again. An endless circle."

He started to move in her direction and Hae Soo instinctively drew the dagger her friend Woo Hee gave her.

"Stay back!"

The man's eyes never faltered, his mouth never betrayed any emotion. He opened his arms wide.

"You would kill me?"

Hae Soo's hands trembled, holding the dagger up.

"Would you? Please?"

She saw a single tear fall down from his eye, the one circumvented by a scar. She dropped to her knees, scared, confused. The eerie atmosphere of the woods that she loved so much seemed to cast a spell on her, the strange, beautiful man and his gaze mystified her, and she suddenly wanted to go back home, back under the covers where it was familiar and safe.

"I'm sorry."

The man looked down at the water. It seemed to make him fragile, vulnerable, and it made Soo feel a little less nervous.

"I seem to have frightened you."

He turned his back to her.

"You should go."

Hae Soo brought herself up to her feet and was ready to go when she thought of the crow, flying next to her window. A bird she had never seen before lost in her kingdom and a sorrowful man in a lake who asked her to kill him. She looked down at the dagger and it gave her a little bit of courage. She turned to him again, heart still out of rhythm but an idea set in her mind.

"My room is that way," she pointed the way she had come, "in the eastern wing of the palace. If you visit me tomorrow morning, I'll believe you."

And with that she ran back, hoping it was true, hoping it was the start of a quest, just like she read in her books.

* * *

She awoke to a tapping noise. Yawning, she got up and drew her curtains back only to see a crow pecking her window, tilting its head as her mouth gaped open.

"It's true! You're here!"

She moved her hand slowly in its direction but the crow didn't move, just waited for her to reach out and pet it on the head. She sat down and continued to pet it, smiling to herself and thinking a million things.

"So who cursed you? And why? Is there a way to break the curse? What's your name? Where are you from?"

But the crow only looked at her, tiny black eyes which didn't hold the same impact as the ones from the night before. It opened its beak and croaked but no words came out. Hae Soo sighed.

 _You can see me because of the moonlight._

"I guess I'll have to wait until tonight, huh? Please don't go anywhere!" She clasped her hands together in a prayer. "I'll find something for you to eat... What do you even eat?"

And all through her lessons that day, Hae Soo thought of the crow in her room and the story he had to tell.

* * *

At the end of the day and after she had bathed, Hae Soo walked into her room only to find the crow had turned into man and was sitting on her windowsill. Despite the fact that he was clothed this time, Hae Soo still screamed.

"My lady, what's wrong?"

Chae Ryung, her faithful servant, rushed down the hall to her room and Hae Soo quickly closed it on her face.

"It's nothing! I thought I saw a rat but I was wrong! You can go, see you tomorrow, Chae Ryung!"

She waited with her ear against the door until Chae Ryung said "Okay" and her footsteps were far away before she turned to the man. He looked at her with a new expression: amusement. _I guess he found his humor back._

"You seem to like me better when I'm a crow."

"I apologize for not being used to a man in my chambers," Hae Soo declared, voice and bow dripping in irony. The man scoffed. Hae Soo walked to a chair by the window, mumbling to herself, "At least you're clothed this time."

"Wang So."

Hae Soo blinked up at him after she sat down, the unexpected words telling her nothing. The amused smile was still on his lips.

"My name. It's Wang So. That's one question down, what do you want to know next?"

Hae Soo forgot all about her embarrassment and even about how much she had hated the lessons she had to endure all day. Moving her chair closer to him, Hae Soo started her questions, both talking in whispers under in the dim nocturnal light. The air still felt eerie around him, but on that day, her curiosity won over fear, stomach filled with excited butterflies. And Wang So started his tale.

Or tried to.

"I'm a prince from a northern land."

"You're a prince?" Hae Soo looked over his black clothes. "You don't look much like a prince."

Wang So crossed his arms. "Do princesses in this country often go to forests after dark?"

Her mouth gaped open and he raised a particularly refined eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe I deserved that. Go on."

He cleared his throat and looked outside. Hae Soo rested her head on her hand and listened, trying not to interrupt him anymore and trying to pay attention to every word. Wang So's voice was deep and melodious, nothing like the voices of the maids who read to her through the years.

"Our kingdom was prospering and I was set to marry a princess from an influential family to form an alliance and expand our territory. I didn't know anything about her. On the day of our marriage, I met her... and her brother."

"Her brother is the one who cursed you?"

Wang So nodded.

"He's a powerful sorcerer and I tried to fight him but he set a curse on me, imprisoned my father and took over the kingdom. I couldn't stay there and watch as he pretended to be the rightful king, so I left. Flew away."

Hae Soo frowned. "But... wouldn't it have been better to kill you? Why leave you alive so one day you could fight him again?"

Wang So's eyes were soft then, and his smile, sad.

"Some things are worse than death, Hae Soo. To fully destroy someone's spirit or render someone powerless and hopeless... I hope you never get to know what that's like."

When he said that, Hae Soo felt childish and silly. She looked down and played with the ends of her hair.

"So... is there a way to break the curse?"

Wang So was quiet for a long time and she was afraid he was upset at her foolishness, but soon he answered, "I don't know."

"Oh..."

She wondered if he would still answer any of her questions.

"And the sorcerer? Is he still in your kingdom?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's taken over other palaces since then."

"What's his name?"

"Hwangbo Wook."

She saw him clench his jaw.

"Hwangbo Wook..."

The name sounded harmless to her, and perhaps that was the worst part. That someone never saw it coming, that sorcerers didn't have imposing names that preceded them like in stories. She said it over and over in her head before Wang So waved a hand in front of her eyes.

"You should go to bed, princess. It's very late and your day seems very busy."

"Oh. Right." She got up and was ready to lie down when she turned back to him. "You... You're not leaving, are you?"

Wang So looked blankly at her then out the window, all the way to the ground.

"I don't suppose I could even if I wanted to."

 _Yes, you could._ "No, I suppose not." She looked around her room for anything that could be comfortable to sleep on but she came up with nothing. She grabbed one of the pillows in her bed and handed it to him. "I'm sorry, this is all I can offer you now... I'll think of something better tomorrow."

Wang So chuckled and she couldn't help smiling. _He's not upset._

"It's okay, Hae Soo. It'd be nothing new for me to sleep on the floor."

"But you said you're a prince..."

He jumped from the windowsill and sat on the floor, back against the wall.

"I'm also a soldier and I've been in worse places than a princess' room."

She hadn't thought about it that way and was glad it was too dark for him to see she was blushing. She handed him the pillow anyway and jumped on her bed, covering her head, whispering good night.

"Good night," said the prince from the northern lands in return.

She should have been scared or apprehensive. If her mother walked in she'd be ruined, disowned and who knows what else. But the prince never made a sound and when she thought of his smile, she felt at ease.

And so Hae Soo slept, and in the morning, the crow was still there, to croak her a good morning.

* * *

"I'll try to find something in our library about sorcerers," she told the crow. "I don't have much time by myself but I'll try."

Hae Soo's plans were futile. She spent most of the day practicing etiquette and dances, and by the time the day was over, she was drained from all energy.

"I'm sorry," she told the prince, voice muffled by her bed covers after she all but threw herself onto her bed in defeat. "My instructors wouldn't leave me alone today and even dinner was supervised to make sure I followed the right protocols."

"Are you practicing for some kind of event?" Wang So questioned from his spot on her windowsill. Hae Soo sat up, puffing her cheeks.

"My mom is arranging my marriage to some nobleman. She doesn't appreciate of my... hobbies and thinks I'll settle down after marriage. It'll also help our country."

"Hobbies?" The prince's eyebrows arched in amusement. "Like escaping from the palace after dark?"

"Don't judge me." She pointed her finger at him, before falling back onto her bed. "You don't know a princess' life, all the don'ts and taboos. They might as well tell us to stop living so that our husbands can live their lives to their fullest. We're naught but decorative flowers used to temper men down and boost them up when necessary." Her voice turned into a mumble. "I bet I won't even like him."

Wang So watched her closely with unfaltering eyes. He thought of the things he wished he didn't have to do as a prince, and the times he wished he could just run away and be something else, someone else. After being turned into a crow, he felt it was the appropriate, if not soul crushing, punishment for such thoughts. He thought of all the people he couldn't help anymore.

"And what would you rather do, Hae Soo?" He asked her, tilting his head to the side. "What would you prefer your future to be like?"

Hae Soo sat up again, hugging her knees to her chest, eyes looking at the ceiling as she brought about her dreams.

"I'd love to meet the world, meet different people and live my own adventure."

"Life's not an adventure, Hae Soo. I think my story is enough proof of that."

Her smile faltered a bit, but she looked at her hands, palms held upward.

"I know it's nothing like in the books, but... I believe there's something only I can do. Actively do, not just supporting someone else's ambitions. I thought that if I could help you..." She looked at him only to meet his eyes. A prince's eyes, who had already seen so much, and she knew so little. She felt timid. "If I could help you, do you think it's possible? My dream?"

So crossed his arms and looked outside. Thinking if he should lie or not.

"I don't know, Hae Soo. I don't know if everything in your life could change just by meeting me. Odds are that you'll just end up marrying the nobleman your mother sets up for you, and then you'll have to adjust. This life, the life we lead... It rarely ends up being the way we dreamed as children. It's much harder than that."

Hae Soo lied down on her back, sighing, feeling her stomach hurt at his every word. She twiddled with her fingers in silence, moving her sore feet to the rhythm of her thoughts. Wang So still looked outside, wondering about the moment when he lost his own dreams.

"So, this sorcerer... You told me you fought him. Does he have no weakness at all?"

Wang So was brought back to the present with the change of subject, chuckling in amusement. The girl was stubborn.

"I fought him face to face and it was a hard battle. He bleeds so I know he's not immortal, but he's also so powerful he could turn my own blade at me. It's what gave me this scar." He pointed at it but Hae Soo had closed her eyes, tapping her temples as if it could make the ideas come at will.

"So maybe... a surprise attack?"

The prince hummed. "It could work, but it's hard to catch him off guard. Especially if we don't know when and how we're going to meet him. If we could only draw him out..." So tried to think of a plan but felt that anything that involved Hae Soo drawing the sorcerer out was too dangerous. He was ready to tell her that when he looked at her direction and noticed she had fallen asleep without even going under the bed covers.

Wang So jumped down and moved towards her, holding her up and tucking her in carefully, trying not to wake her up. He brushed her hair away from her face and she moved slightly in his direction, like a cat who liked being petted. Her hand peeked out from under the covers and he looked at it, tempted to hold it, tempted to tell her of the way he knew to break the spell. He thought of her dreams and her plans and he chuckled to himself again, wishing they could come true. Just this once. Just for her.

The cursed prince moved back to the spot where he had slept the previous night and closed his eyes, sleeping soundly with dreams with no images, only the sentiment he longed for the most.

* * *

"Mother, what kind of man is the man I'm marrying?" Hae Soo asked when she saw her mother at dinnertime. Queen Hae looked at her with surprise and delight.

"Are you finally showing interest in your marriage, Soo?"

"No, it's just that I was thinking about princes..." She popped a big chunk of bread into her mouth, unsure of what else would be coming out. Her mother's smile faltered, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Thinking about princes? Well, real life princes aren't like the ones in your books, Soo. They don't live adventures, they have obligations."

"I know that!" Soo whined, wishing her mother wouldn't treat her like a child at every given opportunity. "I was just thinking he could be... I don't know, close to my age. Or maybe... a bit like me." Her voice went small. "If only a little."

Queen Hae studied her daughter before speaking.

"Well, I hear the prince of the northern lands is close to your age, yes. He's highly skilled in sword arts, has fought in battles with the king and is a responsible son. I suppose you'll like him, he's been to different lands so he must have stories to tell."

Hae Soo listened to her mother with a ringing in her ear. Her mother watched in concern as her daughter paled.

"Soo? Are you feeling all right?"

"Northern... lands? I'm marrying the prince from the northern lands?"

"Yes, prince Wang So. I never mentioned it before because I thought it wouldn't make a difference to you, but—"

Hae Soo stood up abruptly.

"Thank you for the food, mother, I'll be in my room."

She bowed and tried to appear as calm as possible while he mother's eyes were still on her but, as soon as she was out of her sight, the princess ran. She ran up the stairs and towards her room without stopping once, without thinking about her fatigue, without thinking about anything else but the prince.

 _I'm marrying prince Wang So? But So is..._

She entered her room in a rush and the crow prince, who was on his usual spot, soon jumped to his feet when he saw Hae Soo's state. She leaned against her door long enough to catch her breath, only until she could speak.

"You said the sorcerer took over your kingdom." Her chest moved rapidly and So moved to her side, concerned.

"Yes, but what—"

"He's coming here, So."

Wang So widened his eyes.

"What? How—"

"My mother just told me I'm marrying prince Wang So."

He grabbed her shoulders, grip so hard it hurt.

"Are you _sure_?"

She pushed him away, not keen on being abused on top of being terrified.

"If you're prince Wang So, then who am I marrying?!"

She collapsed to the floor, crying to her heart's content. _This isn't the adventure I wanted,_ she thought, clenching her hands into fists. _What's going to happen to me?_

Wang So touched her shoulders again, lighter this time, whispering her name. He knelt before her and wiped her tears, trying to get her to look at him, to breathe, to stop crying before someone heard her.

"Hae Soo," he said, and it was the kindest tone she heard him use. "When is the wedding?"

"The day after tomorrow," she said between sobs, body falling in his direction and he let her head rest against his chest, patting her with one hand and holding her hand with the other.

"Will it happen at day or night?"

"At day..." She spoke and widened her eyes. The realization that he would be a crow then dawned upon her and she cried harder, prompting him to hold her closer as to muffle her voice. When her arms encircled him and held his clothes tightly, he could feel his heart shriveling in his chest, his courageous princess turned helpless by fear and he could barely do anything to help her.

"If you can't change the time of the ceremony, try delaying it as much as you can. Hey," he pushed her away to smile at her, "We'll figure something out, okay? You won't be marrying anyone. Shh." He dried her tears with his sleeves and then helped her stand up, leading her to her bed where he made her sit while he took her shoes off for her. She looked down at him, eyes hurting but dry, and spoke in a soft voice.

"I wouldn't mind it if it was you."

He looked up at her, not moving from his position. He searched in her eyes for the meaning of her words before she continued.

"It wouldn't be so bad if I married you. You're my friend, and I... I think it'd be nice."

Wang So stood up slowly and leaned in closer to her, one hand moving to caress her temple, eyes the closest they had ever been. He smiled, a crooked, happy smile that she was too nervous to return.

"You wouldn't be able to escape the palace anymore, princess."

She did laugh then, only briefly, and Wang So leaned back, away from her personal space.

"You should sleep for now. Get some rest, I'll try thinking of something."

She nodded and lied down, So pulling the covers around her, but, when he was about to leave her bedside, she held his hand. The crow prince looked at her, the courageous princess whose eyes were tearing up again, and sat down, holding her hand with both his own, smiling at her until she closed her eyes. She fell asleep to the touch of his fingers on her wrist, almost like a secret language, a promise unspoken, and he stayed by her side the whole night. When she woke up in the morning, the crow was sleeping next to her pillow and she patted it lightly on the head, careful not to wake him up, careful not to scare him away.

The two never left her room that day, thinking and thinking, until the day faded away and the wedding day arrived.

* * *

" _Stall as much as you can."_

"Hae Soo, open this door this instant."

It was her mother and she knew she had to go. She looked out the window. It'd soon be dusk, and soon the crow would turn into man. She nodded at him, already clad in her wedding dress, and opened the door to greet her mother with a huge smile.

"Soo! You've kept our guests waiting for so long, this is unacceptable behavior!"

"I'm really sorry, mother. I really haven't been feeling well since yesterday, but I'm okay now. We should go."

Her mother held her hand before she could walk away, eyes filled with concern.

"Are you really okay? This isn't just an act of rebellion, is it? You look so pale." Queen Hae touched her cheeks but Soo nodded at her.

"It's okay, mom. It'll all be okay."

She walked towards her guests, graciously keeping her dress from brushing against the floor, her hair adorning the most delicate flowers. When she arrived at the main hall, she searched for Woo Hee amongst the crowd, nodding at her when they locked eyes, sealing their agreement from earlier that day.

" _Place your must trusted warrior in the room. We can't allow any of the palace guards to hurt Wook or whoever he brings with him or we'll face diplomatic disaster if anything goes wrong. Tell her to act if you demonstrate any discomfort and agree on a sign."_

Her mother led her to two men at the center of the room. The first was a man with kind eyes, clad in blue colors and who kissed her hand.

"I'm Hwangbo Wook, your highness, adviser to prince Wang So."

 _This is he,_ she thought, trying her best to show him her best smile. _No one even knows, he hides in plain sight._

When she looked at the other man, she could feel her blood running cold.

It was Wang So, through and through. Wearing pristine white clothes, long, black hair that shone like the crow's feathers tied in a ponytail with a ribbon. He was warm to the touch, real. When he spoke, it was his voice that she heard, the kind voice that comforted her when she was afraid, and when he chuckled, it was the amused chuckle she heard from the windowsill. She couldn't keep her eyes off him, plan slipping from her mind, words failing her.

The Queen asked for music and she heard it, vaguely, in the background, eyes seeing only him as he took her hand and led her to a dance. As they danced, she couldn't look away from his eyes, thinking, _This is how he dances_ , feet moving in perfect accordance to her lessons, entranced, mesmerized. She could feel him closing in on her, his perfectly angled nose almost touching hers, her eyes closing on their own when she heard a sound in the distance.

Tap. Tap.

 _Someone's tapping on a window._

Tap. Tap.

 _Just like..._

She opened her eyes quickly, backing away from his kiss. The man dancing with her tilted his head to the side in a perfect mirror of the real one, but she found the flaw.

The man had no scar.

Hae Soo looked around, searching for a crow in every window, but she found nothing.

"Ah," a new voice said, right before her. "You know him, don't you?"

Hae Soo looked back at the prince she was dancing with but it was not Wang So who looked at her. It was a different man, a smaller man with thin eyes, a smile like a snake's.

"You know So." When she widened her eyes, his eyebrows shot up in amusement. "You can see me, can't you? The enchantment has been broken. You're a smart little thing." She tried to let go of him but he held her waist tighter. "Tsk, tsk, this won't do, princess Hae Soo. It's too late for So anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Hae Soo shot back, eyes unveiled and sharp and glaring at him.

"I bet you made a promise with him, to break the curse. And it was rendered useless the moment you kissed me." There was an irritating melody to the man's voice and Hae Soo wanted to break free from him, but she was scared of what he was on about.

"Break the curse? So never told me anything about that. He didn't know."

"Oh?" He looked like he was enjoying himself immensely. "Then why did he fly away so helplessly? Perhaps..." He was closer again, sickeningly close. "Did you make a promise without even knowing? What was it? Marriage?"

Hae Soo's eyes widened.

 _It wouldn't be so bad if I married you. You're my friend, and I... I think it'd be nice._

"Wang So's curse could have been broken if he ever loved and was loved back, you know? First love." He inhaled as though _first love_ was her perfume. "But now you're mine and he's going to be stuck as a crow forever after tonight."

"You're lying," Soo said, but it was weak, she couldn't even convince herself. The man with the snake eyes moved closer and whispered in her ear,

"Then why don't you go ask himself?"

Hae Soo used all her strength to push him away and then she ran, ignoring her mother's shouting, ignoring the stares that followed her. She ran out the palace doors, out the palace walls and into the forest. Her feet knew exactly where to take her, bits and pieces of her wedding dress getting caught in thorns, but she didn't look back, not once. She ran towards the lake where she met him, ran as the sun set in the sky, ran through the forest that she loved.

She found him there, by the lake, where her heart told her he would be. She had only ever seen him cry once but he cried then, her crow prince, who talked about sorcerers and battlefields like he was fearless. She had forgotten he suffered. How easily she forgot his pain and his loss and now she added to it, the thought making her grip her dress with all her strength, but she had to be the strong one, she had to fix what she had broken.

"I thought he was you," she said and he looked at her with eyes that she had never seen before, scared, full of hurt. "When I danced with him and when I let him kiss me I thought he was you."

"It was an enchantment," he said, holding a hand to his forehead as if trying to will a headache away. Hae Soo walked towards him, biting her bottom lip.

"I'm sorry I couldn't fight it, even after we had planned so much, I just..." She fell to the ground by his side, reaching out for his hand. "I kept thinking about what it would be like to marry you and it felt like it was happening."

He wiped his own tears and nodded towards the lake.

"He used your thoughts against you. Neither of us expected that."

"So," she cried, pulling his sleeve. "Why didn't you tell me about how to break the curse?"

"I couldn't ask that of you. Couldn't ask you to abandon your family and country, not when I still miss mine." He looked at her and smiled at her tears. "I couldn't curse you with me, Soo."

She threw her arms around his neck and flung herself against him, both almost falling over. She held him as tightly as she could, hiding her eyes against his shoulder.

"I would have married you anyway."

"To free me from the curse?"

She shook her head.

"Because you're the one I want to marry." She backed away to look at him and touched the scar on his face. "Please don't disappear."

"This is very touching."

The two of turned their heads with a start, staring at the man who approached them.

"Wook," Wang So growled, jumping to his feet, protecting Hae Soo with his body.

"Wang So. I didn't _actually_ think you'd find someone to break the curse for you, I barely believed Yo when he told me you'd be here, yet here we are." He gestured to their surroundings, a broad smile on his face. Not once did he seem threatening to Hae Soo.

"I'm going to kill you," So declared and Wook laughed.

"With what? You couldn't even do it when you had a sword."

He walked towards them and So yelled at him to stay back, but he kept moving, tilting his head in Hae Soo's direction.

"I didn't mean to do anything to you until you had married my brother, Soo, but now you've gone and ruined my plans. I'm afraid I'm going to have to use Yeon Hwa in your stead, no one will notice. They never noticed I wasn't king Taejo, did they, So?"

So tried to block Soo from his view and Wook sighed. With a wave of his hand, So was thrown across the air and into a tree.

"So!" Hae Soo yelled and tried to run to him, but suddenly she couldn't move her feet, could only watch as the sorcerer Hwangbo Wook approached her and touched her face.

"You really are a beautiful princess. Maybe I should marry you myself." Soo was afraid of his smile then, and the touch of his hand on her cheek made her shiver.

Soo heard a sound piercing through the air and watched as Wook outstretched an arm behind him, an invisible barrier blocking a knife from hitting him in the back.

"You call this a surprise attack? I could hear you _breathing,_ " he told Woo Hee, who stepped out from behind a tree.

"The guards are coming, warlock. You should never have showed yourself."

"I think we'll all be gone by the time they get here. And then I can destroy this kingdom, if it's really that hard to claim it as my own."

While he talked to Woo Hee, Hae Soo discovered that the magical hold he had on her had weakened. She reached into the folds of her dress, praying that he was distracted enough. Gripping the knife Woo Hee gave her, she raised it high and stabbed the sorcerer on the chest before he could turn his head towards her, before he even noticed she had moved.

Startled, he looked from his bleeding wound to her.

"You...?"

"I'm not the princess you thought I was, Lord Wook."

Concerned about his wound, he ignored the knives thrown at him, losing his breath as they finally hit their target. The sorcerer, played by the two women, fell to his knees, a snarl on his face, and when he looked at Hae Soo, he clenched his right hand and she started to choke, unable to breathe.

"A princess would dare kill me?"

He never noticed Wang So had moved from his fallen spot. Never noticed Woo Hee had thrown him a sword. He never saw anything until the sword pierced through his back and chest. Hae Soo inhaled sharply and So ran to her before she fell to the ground, never taking his eyes off the sorcerer, who, defeated, screamed his anger into the night until there was no more anger, no more voice. Nothing more was left of the sorcerer known as Hwangbo Wook.

* * *

For a long time, Hae Soo lied on her bed and just looked at her own hands, trembling. She didn't have a single candle to light up her room, so used she was to her conversations with So into the night, but she felt so cold then. She didn't look up when So walked into her room, only acknowledging him when he lit a candle and took hold of one of her hands.

"I've never hurt someone before," she whispered, and the tears she held back all night surfaced. So sat on her bed and held her, letting her cry this time. When she was too tired to cry anymore, he lied down next to her and pulled the covers over the two of them, his head lying next to hers, their fingers interlacing.

"You can stay tonight?" She asked, hopeful. He smiled and nodded. Hae Soo brought their clasped hands to her forehead and closed her eyes, hoping he would scare the nightmares away. All the visions that turned into nightmares where she hurt a man fatally, where she fought for her life. She slept a dreamless sleep and when she woke up, it was no crow that slept on her bed, but a man, beautiful, long black hair spread across her pillow, and so glad she was that she allowed herself to close her eyes again and back into sleep.

 _Give me just a few more minutes with him. Just a few more..._

* * *

Wang So left the next day for his country, bent on rescuing his father and righting all the wrongs the sorcerer and his family brought. She couldn't give him a proper goodbye, not under her mother's close watch, so she just asked him if she could send him letters, right there, in front of everyone. Wang So, kneeling before her mother, finally a prince in his own right, smiled at her and said that nothing would make him happier.

After that, she didn't sneak out of the palace, not anymore. She took up embroidery when her mother requested, and spent time writing instead of reading. She also asked her mother to learn about herbs and their healing properties as a way to right her own wrong, to steady her hand again. She wrote to So about the new books she read, the new trips to the forest, ones she was actually allowed to go on, and about how lonely it was to have no one to plan adventures with.

When he responded, the first thing she noticed was his beautiful handwriting, and how fit it was for a prince. So much time she had spent with him but still there were so many things she didn't know about him, so much she yearned to ask, and letters weren't enough. But Hae Soo knew he had his obligations as a prince and so she waited, knowing she would see him again, knowing he wouldn't leave her alone.

He told her that his father was well and that there was no trace of Yo or Yeon Hwa anywhere that he looked. There were also many other cities and countries that had been taken over by the sorcerer and there was much to be done to help, so it would take a while, but she should wait for good news.

It wasn't until two months later that Hae Soo, who now walked with her back straight through the castle halls and studied until the sun had set, heard from her best friend again. Not in the form of letters, not in any way she had expected. It was her mother who called her and informed her that she should be packing her things.

"Will I be able to visit prince So, mother?" She asked excitedly, and when her mother shook her head, she could swear her heart hurt.

"No, Soo. You are to be married."

" _Married_?"

She sank in her chair, much like she had always done in her most rebellious days.

"But mother... I thought you didn't want to marry me off anymore. I've been good!"

Her mother remained impassive, but when she looked in her daughter's eyes, there was clearly laughter in her.

"You are to be married to the prince of the northern lands, Wang So. You both leave after the ceremony."

Hae Soo jumped off from her seat.

"Really?"

Her mother nodded and she threw herself at her, hugging her while she laughed.

"Do you like him that much?" Her mother asked, brushing her daughter's hair back into place. Hae Soo let her go and tapped her lips in deep thought.

"I think there's still much to know about him." She smiled. "But he's my friend, and I think... I think that's a great start."

Reality, Hae Soo discovered, very easily beat any incantation. When Wang So showed up on their wedding day, his smile could not be imitated by anyone, neither could the look in his eyes or the way he kissed both her hands. They laughed as they danced, talking about things they had seen and lessons Soo had memorized for that day. She showed him all her favorite foods and he tried them all, and she loved the way his bangs almost covered his eye, and she occasionally reached out and adjusted it back into place. She loved how happy he looked, and when he told her she looked beautiful, she had to hide her face behind her hands in embarrassment, feeling like a little girl.

After their marriage was declared official, Wang So kissed her. She wasn't expecting him to, not really, thinking there were still so many more steps to go, but since she had her first kiss stolen before, she supposed it was okay to right that wrong, too. There was nothing aggressive about his kiss, just one hand on her waist and the other on her face and a gentle brush of his lips against hers, but she still felt like she could fall over.

Once all their official obligations had been fulfilled and they could be excused, Hae Soo and Wang So went back to the room they knew so well, and she asked him if they would be going to the northern lands the next day. She hopped excitedly by his side, and his shoulders shook with laughter.

"Your mother didn't tell you?" He asked, taking his usual spot next to her window. "We're not going to the northern lands. We'll be visiting all the cities affected by Wook, helping them re-establish themselves."

Hae Soo ran up to him, hair still messy from all the pins she had just removed, eyes wide and shiny.

"You mean... We'll be traveling?"

He laughed, patting down her hair and nodding.

"Officially. For a long time, to many different places."

She squealed, jumping in his arms, and he caught her and all her happiness.

That night, their first night as husband and wife, when she could finally be with him without worrying about her mother being angry with her, she asked for another kiss. If it made up for her first kiss, she decided she could make up for it a thousand times. In all her books, the kiss signalized the ending, but to her, the kiss was the very beginning.

"Hey, So," she whispered, lying with her head on his arm, lips still warm from his. "I think I'm falling in love with you."

He smiled his most amused smile.

"Aren't you supposed to fall for your spouse?"

She pouted, only half-mad that he could still tease her into embarrassment.

"You know that's something I was scared would never happen."

He smiled fondly, taking hold of the hand that fiddled with the collar of his shirt.

"I know, Soo. It's only that for me, that already happened a long time ago."

He brushed her hair back and she closed her eyes.

"Thank you for escaping the palace."

She laughed and he kissed her forehead before kissing her mouth again, whispering his response against her lips, both falling deeper into love and sleep until the sun rose again and their adventure began, far, far from the palace walls.


End file.
